The Dark Side
by Melodine
Summary: Being just a hero cannot ensure financial stability, a painful truth Robin must come to terms with. An encounter with a thief who has questionable ethics reminds him of Red X and he attempts to win her over to the right side.


**The Dark Side**

Chapter One: Dick

* * *

"Hah! You'll never beat me now! Take that!"

"I'm not gonna let you win, Cyborg! You're going down!"

It was, it seemed, a normal day in the Titan's Tower. Cyborg and Beastboy...no, Changeling now, Raven reminded herself. However, things had changed, they had grown up; really, they were merely just hitting their 20s now, though certain individuals that were twiddling their fingers of an electronic game seemed as childish as ever. Which, was to be expected, of course. The goth sighed, closing her eyes, willing herself to shut out all the noisy interferences around her.

Surprisingly, the beeping suddenly stopped a few seconds after her eyelids were shut, though it was followed soon by a string of curses and loud arguing about whose fault it was that the screen had suddenly turned black. Frowning, Raven's eyes snapped open just as a face appeared on screen.

Immediately, the two fell into hushed silence, and Changeling's jaw dropped; a fanboy-like expression she remembered seeing when he had first met Robin. Such a reaction was not surprising, seeing who the person was.

Technically, they couldn't exactly see who it truly was; the dark mask shrouded half the face of the man, leaving only his lips and jaw. But it was clearly obvious who the masked person was. After all, this was...

"Where's Robin?" The man asked curtly, eyes staring out from behind the mask that prevented any knowledge of what color they were. "I need to talk to him."

"Sir, Batman, sir!" Changeling's arm snapped up, giving the Dark Knight a salute, a grin spreading from ear to ear. "I must say it's an honor to meet you; I've heard so much about you...U-uh, he's probably in his room." The green boy added sheepishly just as Batman gave him a sharp look.

"I have an urgent matter to discuss with him about. If you would kindly get..."

"No need for that." A voice cut in, and the three Titans turned to see their leader walking towards the couch as the door whizzed shut behind him. "What is it?"

His former mentor hesitated, eyes scanning the living room before he spoke again. "Private matters, Robin. We need to talk alone."

"I'm in a team now." Robin snapped. "What can't you say in front of them?"

"Very well...Dick." The two other males would have laughed, if not for the grim faces on both masked heroes and the tension between them......and Raven's threatening glare. The older man continued. "I've been doing some thinking lately, and I'm of the opinion that you should return to Gotham City."

"The last time I checked, I'm not your little sidekick anymore." The Boy Wonder said, his mouth a thin line. "And I'm the leader of this team. I'm not leaving the Titans."

"Then what about your future? You can't just be a hero forever. Do you think that being just a hero earns you money? How do you get the funds to repair damage, upgrades or basic necessities?"

"Yeaaah, Robin, you never told us where you got the money." Cyborg frowned, staring suspiciously at him.

"It's from my bank account." Robin replied briskly. "Courtesy of my...adoptive father."

"Oh?" Changeling piped up, clearly eager at a chance to join in the conversation. "Thanks a lot for the help then, Mr Batman Sir! Do you think," He dropped his voice lower, waggling an eyebrow at the screen. "You could fund me for a moped?"

"Quit dreaming about that moped already." Raven slapped the back of his head, causing the latter to wince in pain and turn to whine at her. He only got as far as a pout and lips opening to speak when the telekinetic shoved one of the game controllers in his mouth, causing only garbled noises to emit from him. Giving her a brief smile as thanks, Robin's mouth curved downwards as he turned back to the screen again, having been momentarily distracted by his teammate's begging for a moped, though he supposed Changeling should have really grown out of that phase. Then again, he also should have gotten more used to it over the years.

"Make your intentions clear." He said, a gloved finger hovering over a button, threatening to end the conversation. "The Titans are busy."

Unfazed by the threat, Batman merely stared back at the Boy Wonder...who wasn't much of a boy anymore, but a young man, he realized. A young man who was his son, and a young man who was bright, but nevertheless he was worried about his future. "Come back to Gotham. A few years of studying, and you'll be ready to work in Wayne Industries." Before Robin had a chance to retort, he added. "I am asking you to come back, not as Robin, but Richard Grayson."

A large snort interrupted the silence that had elapsed after that last sentence; Changeling had managed to dislodge the controller from his mouth and was free to speak again. "Robin is a Dick?" He exclaimed, guffawing and slapping Cyborg on the back before it died away into a nervous chuckle when he realized no one was laughing along with him. The half-robot sighed and grabbed him by the arm, dragging the green boy out of the room as Raven silently followed.

Their leader was left alone, watching the door close behind on their backs, his eyebrows creased in thought.

"Do you need a few days for your decision?"

* * *

"What do you think Dic-I mean, Robin's decision will be?"

Changeling was trying his best not to laugh; he was after all, posing a serious question. The more he thought about it, the more he was focused on the possibility of Robin leaving them than future jokes he could make out of his real name. "I mean...Robin would never leave us...right?"

"He might." Cyborg replied, crossing his arms. "Don't you notice how awkward it's been ever since Star and Robin broke up?"

"Robin's always been professional. He knows that he can't hide from her forever." Raven murmured, her eyes shut as she meditated, hovering above the ground. "If he decides to go, it is his choice alone. It is his future after all."

"Yeah, but we're a team!" Cyborg exclaimed. "Do you remember that time Robin left?"

"Heheheh." Changeling grinned. "I sure do. We all dressed up like Robin, mask, cape and all! Even Raven did it!"

"We're not little kids anymore." Her eyes snapped open to regard him with a glare. "We shouldn't cling on to him, cling on to each other. We all need to grow up." _Including you_, she continued the sentence in her mind. Changeling however, seemed to have heard this and lapsed into a sullen silence.

"He wouldn't leave us." Cyborg said. "He's the leader of the Titans, our leader, our teammate and our friend."

And even though everyone else smiled back as if to agree with him, there was still an unspoken uncertainty hovering in the air as they waited, waited with bated breath to know the answer.

* * *

"I don't need a few days. I'll tell you my answer now."

And just as Batman told himself to prepare to communicate with the Titan's Tower yet again, Robin looked at him and the answer he had not expected was spoken.

"Tell Alfred to get my room ready."

* * *

The Dark Side is a story I have been pondering on writing for a while now. As busy as my life is with school, I'm doing this mainly because I love this story and the obsession my muse has with it. I may take a while in between chapters; life is hectic with many distractions and I like to finetune each chapter as I write it.

It's set probably a few years after Trouble in Tokyo, when our dear Teen Titans aren't really teens anymore. They are young adults, older heroes, and I thought Beastboy would have some resentment against being called a 'boy' now that he's older, though he still acts like the BB we all know and love. This story won't only be centered on Robin and his adventures in Gotham, it will also focus on the team at some points, and possibly focus on a blooming romance between a certain green one and a goth one.

That being said, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter, and do add it to your Story Alert if you're interested in reading on! I would also love reviews!

-Melodine


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